Constantine - US reaction

THE Box Office success of Constantine looks to have gifted Keanu
Reeves with another franchise, should he want it.

But the response from American critics was decidedly mixed -
with many hating it, others unimpressed, and a few declaring it
to be one hell of a great movie.

The Los Angeles Times, however, fell into the
negative camp, stating that 'despite some witty special effects
and an appealing concept, Constantine meanders in too many directions
to make much sense even to itself'.

While USA Today lamented: "So where are
we? In two hours of Dullsville, as Sinatra used to say."

Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, concluded that
'viscerally, I feel shut out of the fun'.

While the New York Times opined that 'Keanu
Reeves plays a haunted, expressionless traveler in an overblown
theological thriller based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer'.

Newsday felt it 'takes too long telling a story
that could have delivered maximum impact in less time'.

And the Washington Post pointed out that 'the
screenplay by Frank A. Cappello and Kevin Brodbin is only interesting
for a few characters, hardly the story'.

Of the positives, however, Hollywood
Reporter was pleased to report that Constantine is 'one
of those rare pulpy page-to-screen translations that actually
gets it right'.

While Arizona Republic wrote that 'occult detective,
John Constantine (Reeves), has seen it all and responds to the
most hideous threat with a puff on his cigarette and a self-assured
leap into the abyss'.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was also keen,
stating that 'Lawrence keeps the story on track and doesn't cheat
the world of Constantine, which embraces good, evil, unforgiving
judgment and the human ambiguities that offer the possibility
for forgiveness'.

While Filmsinreview.com wrote: "I believe
in Satan, Hell, demons walking the Earth, and Keanu Reeves as
a cancer-ridden exorcist. Stay until after the credits for a denouement."

And Filmcritic.com opined: "Once you let
yourself fall into its rising hellfire, you'll get caught up in
its thrilling storyline, ominous ambiance, and wild and weird
action sequences."

But the Chicago Tribune lamented that 'although
the story is potentially fascinating and the visuals sometimes
spellbinding, the movie itself is stranded in the purgatory of
the second-rate'.

And the Dallas Morning News wrote that 'Constantine
deals, at least in part, with its title character's attempt to
cross over from hell to heaven. But there's no uncertainty about
the movie's fate. It quickly heads south'.